The Burning Sky.

Ivory

The luminous lanterns cascaded light tentatively, casting shadows of which the vacant moon failed to produce. What a sight we must have been, the four of us. Fragile and forlorn i had wearily marched onwards. It had only been four hours of travelling, seemingly not a terrible amount of time. But i could not shake the feeling of disgust that hit me hard, in my lungs, in my heart, in my stomach. I hurt as if my delicate ice sculpture soul was melting, and i was losing the ability to hold it in place, to hold it within me. It was flowing away in a steady stream of which i could not damn. I had killed another four people that day, another four people to add to the ever growing list. We marched along the barren land in a marauding silence. Tensions between me and Jayda were still high and this left little room for conversation. The heavy, forced atmosphere seemed to add weight on my shoulders, and the silence gave me time to digest what i had done. Every man i who had perished weren't evil. I understood that. They all would of had a loved one who they would do anything for. they all would of had a home, where after a long day they could come back to. Maybe their home would be small, warm and cozy, with a roaring fire, a hearty stew bubbling over it. They may of had a child. I imagined a young girl sobbing into her mum, tears running down her cheeks in the knowledge she will never see her father again. His friends drinking in the local inn, their hunched figures casting shadows into the gloomy corners sharing their sorrow in respectful silence. Each one of those beings would hate the girl who had caused their village this much pain and sorrow and loss. And with this is mind i dragged myself along at the back of line, each step i took another tear would slide from my eyes. I prayed to the great Flonent that he would accept the souls of the lost Dalerian into his kingdom, and praying him to let them know how deeply apologetic i was.

After i became too exhaughsted to shed anymore tears and continue my murmuring i glanced up to find myself in a slightly less baren landscape. There was boulders scattered here and there, and the bushes seemed higher and denser. The change of scenery was a relief atleast. It showed we were heading further from the west, into the midlands where we would possibly be safer. I the three people in the line infront of me, looking to see if they showed any signs of resting soon. To my surprise and embarrassment i noticed Runa was looking over his shoulder at me.

"Were you praying?" He asked without emotion.

"Yes, for the soldiers." I replied.

"What about them?"

"They didnt deserve to die"

"So you're praying that they survive? Or come alive again? Just so they can serve the King and hurt innocent people again?" he asked obviously believing that they deserved their punishment.

"That could never happen, i was merely wishing Flonent would take them under her wings and deliver them to the doors of her kingdom safely." i replied calmly.

He stopped walking and turned to me. A slight wind had picked up, blowing across the moors and making and creating a somewhat eery atmosphere.

"You certainly baffle me. They try to capture you, hurt you, kill you possibly, and still you ask Flonent to forgive them and look after them in their afterlife?"

"It was their job. They had a life outside of their job. They needed a job to support that life. They didnt have a choice." I explained, another tear rolling down my cheek. "I had a choice too, I made a selfish choice, and that was my freedom in return for their headstones. Wishing that they are accepted into the arms of the great mother is the least i should do."

He looked at me for a moment, his strong jaw tensing as he digested what he had heard.

"You are very forgiving" He commented after a couple of minutes.

"Damn right i am." I said with a slight grin, glad that he seemed to understand.

"Well then forgive me for making you be in the company of Jayda, she is just protective of us all."

"I guess i could, possibly..." I said teasingly, laughing at the joke. He was right. Jayda had a mouth on her but her protective nature should be aplauded, and after all, i had also met a soft side to her since meeting her a short time ago.

"So you're pretty secretive, right?" Runa asked. Not in an interrogative way, not in a demanding way. But in a soft, cursory way that didnt offend, worry or put me on edge at all.

"I'm not secretive at all, i just respect my privacy"

"No you dont." He said smoothly. Somehow this direct statement still did not come across as rude, and i felt obliged to keep the conversation going and not shut him off.

"What makes you say that?" I ask, a warm laugh escaping from my lips.

"You are an extremely curious person aren't you? and curiosity works both ways. You thrive off sharing tales, teaching people and learning more" He explained, a knowing gleam in his eye and a smug grin. But then he grew serious, and leaned in, speaking to me slow like i was a child, he said "So you dont care for privacy usually, do you? You only care for sequestration when you have a secret to hide. A huge one. Is that correct?"

Dumb founded by just how correct he was, i nodded slowly.

He straightened and the sparkling glint had returned. "Well, we all have secrets don't we? I know i do. But what are you comfortable with talking about, i may as well start there, right?"

I racked my brains for something, anything to say. I felt i had tp tell him something, ease him off my case.

"I- I- i once a Chandra's nest." I sputtered out. I dont know why i told him this particular memory. It wasnt especially exciting, or important, oor special to me. Maybe it was the way he moved, so similar to the swift Chandra in flight. Yes, that would of been why. They both had the same fluid movements, never disturbing a single thing around them. Chandra's demanded your attention, with their beauty and their soft song. I guess he was very similar to the bird after all.

I looked up at him, wondering why he wasnt laughing at my random statement about myself, or commenting sarcastically on how much of an "amazing" explorer i was. Instead he was looking at me expectedly, head tilted in curiosity.

I decided to continue, making the statement into a story. "The nest, i spotted it from the ground. I was traveling through the forest, marking the finest trees with string. My father was a woodchop, you see." He nooded, urging me on. "This tree, it wasnt particularly great. In fact, i should of walked right past it and tied my string to the towering pine ahead of me. But then i heard cheaping from above, it was small, weak, and lonely. I climbed the tree, and peeped over the edge of the nest. i was confronted by an extremely angry mother Chandra who attacked me, her children in a shrill uproar. In my terror i let go of the branch and fell to the ground." I laughed at my own memory, and a warm feeling had arrived in my stomach and some of my anger and worry had departed. That had been back in the free days. Before my home had been invaded.

I noticed Runa was laughing too. "Have you ever heard the saying, curiosity killed the cat?" He asked smiling.

"Trust me, i have had it repeated to me more than i can count"

"Dont you think you should listen?" He teased.

"Never." I replied. "Anyway? What about you? You're more curious than me, shouldnt you listen to your own advice?"

"I should, but i dont. Ive never found something as amazing as a Chandras nest though, so maybe my curiosity is staying with me until i do."

After that we spent a good half hour sharing memories. I learnt more and more about him, and he learnt more about me. He didnt push to find anything extremely personal. Every time the conversation drew near to why the Dalerian wanted me, or why him and the other three were also on the run, he smoothly changed the subject.